Police Devotion 1-9-2017
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24)
Proverbs 21:19 says, “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” As a cop, you’ve probably dealt with domestic fights where no crime was committed, so you told the husband, or the “baby’s father,” to leave for a while and cool off. That’s the idea of Proverbs 21:19. If the woman is in a bad mood, the man needs to vacate, at least temporarily.
Proverbs 21:19 not only gives instructions to the man, but also calls for the woman to do a personality check. Let’s say that whenever a man sees his wife getting into a “mood,” he politely vacates: maybe to the gym, garage, or basement, anywhere away from her. Maybe after a while, she’ll hopefully get the hint and strive to be less of a “contentious and an angry woman” and become more pleasant to be around.
Of course, men can be just as bad. In fact, 1 Samuel 25:3 says that Abigail “was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man [Nabal, her husband] was churlish [cruel] and evil in his doings.” One of their servants even told Abigail that Nabal “is such a son of Belial [a wicked person], that a man cannot speak to him” (1 Samuel 25:17). When a man tells his boss’ wife what a jerk he is and she agrees, the boss must be bad news.
One main point from Proverbs 21:19 for men and women is that God wants His people to speak pleasant words that are “sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Did you ever work with a partner who consistently griped and whined and badmouthed others? Chronic whining is a bad testimony for Christ. If you need help to be more pleasant (and who among us doesn’t sometimes?), spend more time in God’s Word. Pleasant words are sweet to the soul and health to the bones, and God’s words are the most pleasant words on earth: “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19:8).
God’s Word is pleasant to read and to think about. Psalm 119:48 says to “meditate” (ponder on) God’s Word: “I will meditate in thy statutes” (Psalm 119:48). The more you read God’s Word and commit it to memory, the more it will influence your thinking and speech. Keep a small Bible handy, or even just a New Testament, especially one with Psalms and Proverbs. When you have down time, even only a few minutes, you can take time for God’s Word instead of the newspaper or a game on your phone.
Psalm 23 is a great Scripture for cops. Verse 4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” If you’re saved, the Lord is always with you. He even said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). If you’ve ever been in a situation on the job where you could’ve been killed, you can honestly say that the Lord was with you in “the valley of the shadow of death.” And He was and still is. Isn’t that great?
The more you read your Bible, the better you’ll know your Saviour, and the more you’ll love Him and want to fellowship with Him by reading His words which are sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. If you have never seen in the Bible how to have eternal life by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.
Brian Miller 1/9/2017
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822